Door operating mechanism



Jan. 9, 1934. J. A, SCHWEIG DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM 2 SheeCs-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 29, 1950 J/AS Arron/vans.

J. A. SCHWEIG 1,943,042

DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Oct. 29, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIIIIIIIIII/ I gj Patented Jan. 9, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application October 29,

5 Claims.

This invention relates to door operating mechanisms, and more particularly to operating mechanisms for elevator doors of the vertical sliding counterbalanced type.

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a simple and efiicient door operating mechanism of the above type which can be quickly and easily mounted on the elevator without material alteration thereof. Another object is to prevent damage to the door operating mechanism in the event that the door is prevented from completing its opening and closing movements. Other objects are economy and compactness of design and fewness of parts. The invention consists in the door operating mechanism and in the construction, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur,

Fig. 1 is an interior side elevation of the door side of an elevator shaft, showing the doors on adjacent floors each equipped with a door operating mechanism embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the door side of said shaft,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary interior side view of the door side of the shaft, showing the bracket for supporting the motor and the gearing for driving the door sheave on one side of the door,

Fig. 4 is a horizontal cross-section on the line 4-4 in Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4,

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary interior side view, showing the connection between the door operator and the door sheave on the other side of the door; and

Fig. '7 is a diagrammatic view showing the sprocket chain layout for driving the door sheaves.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, my invention is shown in connection with an ordinary freight elevator comprising a shaft A having a door opening B at each floor which is closed by means of a vertical sliding counterbalanced door comprising upper and lower door sections C and D, respectively. The upper and lower sliding door sections of each door are provided along each vertical edge with an angle bar side frame memher 1 slidably arranged in angle bar door guides 2 that are rigidly secured to each other and to the wall of the elevator shaft A. The upper and lower door sections are hung on flexible cable chains 3 that pass over sheaves 4, 4a located within the shaft adjacent to the upper corners of the upper door section. One end of each door supporting chain 3 is suitably connected to the 1930. Serial No. 491,889

adjacent lower corner of the upper door section C, and. the other end of said chain is connected to the upper end of an upright rod 5, whose lower end is secured to the outer end of an arm 6 that projects horizontally from the adjacent upper corner of the lower door section D. By this arrangement one door section acts as a counterbalance for the other, and the two sections move simultaneously towards and away from each other. described is well known and it is considered unnecessary to illustrate it in detail.

The door on each floor is opened and closed by means of a separate .door operating mechanism comprising an electric motor, preferably a reversible torque motor 7, which can be stalled under full load for several minutes without injury. The customary limit switches (not shown) are employed for automatically stopping the motor when the door sections reach the limit of their opening and closing movement, .and the usual push button stations (not shown) are provided on the car and on each floor for starting, stopping, and reversing said motor. The motor is mounted on a bracket 8 that is rigidly secured to the door guides or wall of the elevator shaft A adjacent to the door supporting sheave 4. The armature shaft 9 of the electric motor '7 is disposed horizontally and has a spur pinion l0 fixed to the outer end thereof which meshes with a spur gear 11 fixed to one end of a horizontal shaft 12, whose opposite end has a spur pinion 13 fixed thereto which drives a spur gear 14 fixed to the door supporting sheave 4. The gears 11, 12, 13 and 14 are enclosed within a suitable lubricant containing housing 15 mounted on the motor supporting bracket 8. The door sheave 4 is fixed to a shaft 16 that is rotatably supported in suitable antifriction bearings 17 mounted in the gear housing 15 and in a bracket 18, which is formed integral with the motor supporting bracket 8 and has the gear housing 15 removably secured thereto.

The shaft 16 of the door supporting sheave 4 extends through the motor supporting bracket 8 into a horizontal channel 19 formed in the interior surface of the front wall of the elevator shaft just above the lintel 20 of the door opening B and has a sprocket wheel 21 fixed thereto which drives an endless sprocket chain 22. The sprocket chain 22 extends longitudinally of the channel 19 to the opposite side of the door opening where it passes around an idler sprocket wheel 23 mounted in a bracket 24, which is secured to the adjacent side wall of the elevator shaft A adjacent to the door supporting sheave 4a. The shaft 25 on which the idler sprocket 23 turns is mounted in a horizontal slot 26 in the bracket 24 so as to permit said sprocket wheel to be adjusted to take up slack in the sprocket chain 22. The door The elevator construction thus far I supporting sheave 4a is mounted on a horizontal shaft 27 supported in a bracket 28 secured to the adjacent door guide 2 and has a sprocket wheel 29 secured thereto which is located below and is driven by the lower stretch of the endless sprocket chain 22. If desired, the sprocket chain 22 may be located on the room side of the shaft by extending the door sheave shafts 16 and 2'? through the front wall of said shaft with the sprocket wheels 21 and 29 thereof and the idler sprocket wheel 23 located on the room side of said wall.

The operation of the door operating mechanism is as follows: When it is desired to operate the door on a particular floor the motor 7 at that floor is started and the drive of said motor is transmitted through the reduction gearing in the housing 15 to the door sheave 4 and thence through the sprocket chain 22 to the door sheave 4a, which is driven by the lower stretch of said chain and is thus rotated in a direction opposite to the direction in which the sheave 4 is rotated, The drive is then transmitted from the rotating door sheaves to the door chains 3 supported thereon by means of the friction between the surfaces in contact, thereby causing the two door sections to slide in the door guides 2. The door sections are slid apart when the motor is operated in one direction and are brought together when the motor is reversed.

The hereinbefore described door operating mechanism has numerous advantages. It is of simple and compact construction and thus takes up a minimum amount of space in the elevator shaft. The motor, gears and door sheave adjacent thereto are all mounted in a single bracket which can be quickly and easily attached to the elevator; and all of the gears run in lubricant contained in the enclosed casing or housing therefor. It is noted, as an important advantage of the present invention, that the drive between the door sheaves and door chains is a friction drive, instead of a sprocket wheel drive, thus permitting the door sections to be stopped at any point of their opening or closing movement, with the result that if the door sections strike an obstruction during such movement, the door sheaves will slip on the door chains and thus prevent damage to the door operating mechanism.

Obviously, the hereinbefore described arrangement admits of considerable: modification without departing from the invention. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the precise arrangements shown and described.

What I claim is:

1. In a door operating mechanism, a vertically slidable door, a pair of drive wheels located one adjacent to each upper corner of said door, chains passing over the respective drive wheels and connected to said door, an electric motor, a pinion on the armature shaft of said motor, a gear meshing with said pinion, a pinion rotatable with said last mentioned gear, a gear rotatable with one of said drive Wheels and meshng with said last mentioned pinion, a sprocket wheel rotatable with said drive wheel, an idler sprocket wheel located adjacent to the other drive wheel, an endless sprocket chain passing around said sprocket wheels, and a sprocket wheel rotatable with said last mentioned drive wheel and driven by said endless sprocket chain.

2. In a door operating mechanism, a vertically slidable door comprising upper and lower sections, a pair of drive wheels located one adjacent to each upper corner of said door, chains passing over the respective drive wheels and connected at one end to the lower section and at the other end to the upper section of said door, an electric motor, a pinion on the armature shaft, a gear meshing with said pinion, a pinion rotatable with said last mentioned gear, a gear rotatable with one of said drive wheels and meshing with said last mentioned pinion, a bracket for supporting said motor, drive wheel, and gearing, a housing secured to said bracket and enclosing said gearing, a sprocket wheel rotatable with said drive wheel, an idler sprocket wheel located adjacent to the other drive wheel, an endless sprocket chain passing around said sprocket wheels, means for adjusting said idler sprocket to take up slack in said chain, and a sprocket wheel rotatable with said last mentioned drive wheel and driven by.

said endless sprocket chain.

3. In an elevator door operating mechanism, a shaft, a door for closing an opening in said shaft, said door comprising vertically slidable upper and lower door sections, a pair of sheaves located in said shaft one adjacent to each upper corner of said door, chains passing over the respective sheaves and connected at one end to the upper door section and at the other end to the lower door section, a reversible torque motor located in said shaft, gearing connecting said motor with one of said sheaves, a bracket secured to the wall of said shaft and supporting said motor, gearing and sheave, a housing secured to said bracket and enclosing said gearing, a sprocket wheel rotatable with said sheave, an idler sprocket wheel mounted in said shaft adjacent to the other sheave, an endless sprocket chain passing over said sprocket wheels, and a sprocket wheel rotatable with said last mentioned sheave and operatively engaging said endless sprocket chain.

4.111 a door operating mechanism, a vertically slidable door comprisin upper and lower sections, a pair of drive wheels located one adjacent to each upper corner of said door, chains passing over the respective drive wheels and connected at one end to the lower section and at the other end to the upper section of said door, two sprocket wheels, an endless sprocket chain connecting said sprocket wheels for rotation in the same direction, and a third sprocket wheel cooperat'ng with said endless sprocket chain and rotatable in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of said two first mentioned sprocket wheels, said third sprocket wheel and one of said two first mentioned sprocket wheels being con nected to said drive wheels respectively to rotate them in opposite directions.

5. In a door operating mechanism, a vertically slidable door comprising upper and lower sections, a pair of drive wheels located one adjacent to each upper corner of said door, chains passing over the respective drive wheels and connected at one end to the lower section and at-the other end to the upper section of said door, two sprocket wheels, an endless sprocket cha n passing around said sprocket wheels, a third sprocket wheel 00- operating directly with said endless sprocket chain and rotatable in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of said two first mentioned sprocket wheels, said third sprocket wheel and one of said two first mentioned sprocket wheels being rotatable with said drive wheels respectively to rotate them in opposite directions, and means for driving one of said three sprock et wheels.

JULIUS A. SCEWEIG. 

